


We’re Gonna Need A Name For This, Aren’t We?

by mossdehart



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Drinking, Drug Use, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Other, Trans Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, and there’s a whole lot of tea, band au, most of our boys are kind of dicks but they get better, oue boys formin a band babey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-24 21:35:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22044805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mossdehart/pseuds/mossdehart
Summary: Roman‘s life has taken an... unexpected turn downhill. He dropped out of college, has no job, and his new home is the floor of his brother’s apartment. So he decides— fuck it!— I’m going to try to do something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid.(ya boi gonna start a band with his friends)
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Kingceit - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	We’re Gonna Need A Name For This, Aren’t We?

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! I started writing this story months ago, and have just been too lazy to finish the end to this chapter so I can post it. Hope you enjoy, I put it here for you to read (Yes, you specifically who is reading this!!!)
> 
> Chapter Warnings:  
> Implied sexual content, innuendos, vomiting, non graphic violence— tell me if I missed anything!

Dee Driscoll’s eyes fluttered open, blinking up at the unfamiliar ceiling of a darkened room. It took him a second to recognize the pounding in his head. He winced, covering his face and swearing under his breath. 

Dee wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in a feeble attempt to get rid of the bitter taste on his tongue. Then he jumped slightly at a noise coming from next to him, the burst of adrenaline waking him up enough to sit up slightly. There was a buzzing coming from somewhere nearby, and he blindly reached out towards his right, where he felt some sort of nightstand. After a few seconds of waving his hand around, he picked up the source of the buzzing. His phone. 

He squinted as the screen’s light hit his face, holding his phone an arm’s distance away. Missed calls from work, and text messages from his roommate. Dee’s eyes widened, and he set his phone back down after reading the time; 5pm? What the fuck?

Dee sat up straight, his head throbbing angrily at him from the sudden movement. He winced, glancing to his left at the form of a person sleeping under the thin blanket covering the both of them. They didn’t look like they’d be up anytime soon. Dee turned and grabbed onto the nightstand, using it to pull himself to his feet. 

The pain in Dee’s head only worsened as he kneeled down to collect his clothing from the floor. It was now accompanied by a churning in his stomach. Lucky him. Dee managed to stand, and tug his pants up, before he exited the room. 

He opened the door, taking a second to pause against the doorframe. He opened up his phone, reading over his texts from his roommate, Remus. 

12:49am  
[REMUS]: dee when are you getting back  
[REMUS]: roman is staying th night don’t leave me here alone with him man

1:32am  
[REMUS]: hav fun asshat  
[REMUS]: text me if you need a ride home tho ✌️

3:22pm  
[REMUS]: ok dude i havent heard from you in 24 hours do i need 2 call the cops

5:12pm  
[DEE]: Yeah sorry im up. Can you still get me?

[REMUS]: where are you? 

[DEE]: Not sure. One sec. 

[REMUS]: omg fuck okay

5:20pm  
[DEE]: Downtown, a flat on Kings St. I’ll just like send you my location.

[REMUS]: yup  
[REMUS]: roman is still hanging around waiting for you 

[DEE]: Why?

[REMUS]: wont tell me  
[REMUS]: im outside

[DEE]: It’s been 5 minutes?!  
[DEE]: How fast did you fucking drive?

[REMUS]: ill never tell. hurry up

Dee dropped into the passenger seat of Remus Chlebek’s minivan, slamming the door shut and closing his eyes. The natural light from the sunset, and the music that blared from Remus’s speakers, made Dee’s head ache and for a moment he thought he was going to cry. 

Remus looked over at his friend, leaning forward against the steering wheel. Dee was shirtless, said article and his phone being held tightly against his chest. He didn’t say anything, just turning the radio down slightly as he began driving. Remus tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. 

“Your boss called the apartment like four times. He must be pissed at you.” Remus finally said, smirking and running his tongue over his upper lip. 

“Mhm. Re, you know I love you, but for once in your life can you just shut up..?”

Remus whistled. “Deedee, you’re so mean. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this afternoon.”

“Mm.” Dee grunted, running a hand over his face. 

“Did you at least have fun?~” Remus grinned, wiggling his shoulders. 

“Sure, Re.” 

The two of them pulled into the parking lot of their apartment building, the two of them heading inside side by side. They passed a couple of people on their way up to their place, but weren’t given a second look by any of them. The people that lived here were pretty used to Dee and Remus, and one of them showing up looking hungover and shirtless in late autumn wasn’t a huge deal. 

Remus unlocked the door, slamming it open and holding it for Dee before shutting it. 

Roman jumped slightly at the sound, turning to face his brother and childhood best friend. He grinned, standing up and opening his arms to give Dee a hug. He was very disappointed as Dee trudged past him, not even giving him a second look as he headed into the bedroom. 

It looked as if Roman had deflated as Dee walked away. He pouted and sat back down on the milk crate that he had been using as a chair, crossing his arms. 

“Dee, cmon! It’s been almost two years since we’ve seen each other in person, and not even a hello?! Hello?!” Roman huffed when he didn’t get a response, putting a hand on his hip and turning to face his twin brother. 

Remus glanced down the hall towards his and Dee’s shared room, frowning. “I think he just woke up, Ro. Give him a bit.”

Roman blinked, following Remus’ gaze towards the bedroom. “Is he alright?” He whispered. 

Remus hesitated for a few seconds, then shook his head. “Uh, nah, not my place to say. Plus the walls and floor are super thin. And Brenda downstairs is always talking shit.” He snorted, looking down and giving a loud stomp. 

“Uh, okay, that’s fine..” Roman slowly nodded. He wouldn’t say it out loud— but Roman was absolutely desperate for Remus to just tell him what was going on. He knew it wasn’t any of his business, but he absolutely hated secrets. “When do you think he’ll be up for—”

Roman was interrupted by the sound of Dee retching. Remus grimaced and glanced over at the bedroom, shaking his head. “Yeah, probably not today, Ro. If you’re staying here again, there’s a sleeping bag in the closet. You’ve got the whole living room floor to yourself, man.”

Roman swallowed, watching as his brother headed over to check on their friend. He sat back down on his milk crate— Dee and Remus had a couple of chairs, but he did not trust them, ick— and checked his phone. 

5:34pm  
[LOGAN]: When are you going to be available?  
[LOGAN]: You’re the one who is insisting that this is important, at least set a time to meet up lol  
[LOGAN]: Also Patton might be coming along— is that ok?

5:39pm  
[PATTON]: Hey Roman! Logan told me that you’re back in town. That’s so nice, it’s been way too long! I hope college is going well. :D  
[PATTON]: Logan talks about you all the time, he’s missed you a lot! :3

Roman texted Logan back immediately, leaning forward and tapping his sneaker against the floor. He had been hoping to get Dee and Remus on-board with his plan before telling Logan about it— but didn’t have much of a choice now. He told Logan that they could meet up tonight. 

Roman also told Logan that it was cool if Patton came, but Roman wasn’t so sure about that. He hadn’t spoken to the guy in years— and they barely knew each other. They were in the same classes in elementary and middle school, but… Roman knew for a fact that Patton hated his guts. 

While putting his phone away, Roman stood up. He had a lot to do today— and needed to get going. But, he also really wanted to talk to Dee. They were best friends for years, but have barely spoken since Roman left for college. Roman knew Dee had some… issues before, but what Remus had said worried him. He headed to their room, knocking on the wall before moving the curtain that served as a door. 

Roman glanced around Dee and Remus’ bedroom. Though, Roman would sooner call it a pigsty than a room. It smelled of vomit and sweat and weed, and the floor was littered with garbage, clothing, towels, and some empty boxes. The room was grey, and the only sources of light were the small, shuttered window, and a lamp near their bed. Well, it was less of a bed and more of a dirty mattress on the floor. But Roman knew this wasn’t the time to complain about his brother’s decor. 

On said mattress were Remus and Dee. Dee was lying down, eyes shut with an arm over his face. Remus sat next to him, legs crossed and leaning back against the wall. He looked up at his twin brother, nodding his head. 

Roman approached, clearing his throat and sticking his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket. “I’ll be back later tonight, but I have to get going. I have some visiting to do, and all that..”

Dee glanced up at Roman, moving his arm and sitting up slightly. “Welcome home, man.” He rasped, smirking at him. 

Roman swallowed and nodded his head a few times. “Ah, you too— I mean, thank you. I… I hope you’re feeling better later, Dee.”

Dee nodded, running a hand through his hair. Roman noticed that the yellow dye had faded quite a bit, and looked greenish now. Roman wondered if he’d dyed again since they did it together last year. 

The three boys were silent for a minute, Roman staring at the two of them. There were so many questions he wanted to ask. So many stories he wanted to tell. But, he knew that would all have to wait. Roman said goodbye to his best friends, turning and heading out of the apartment. 

Remus shut his eyes when he heard the front door open and shut, glancing down at Dee. “You hungry or anything?”

“I mean, yeah, but gimme like an hour.” Dee snorted, turning to face him. “Or until I wake up. If Ro get back before I’m up, wake me?” 

“Anything for you, Deedee.” Remus winked. He leaned forward, giving Dee a kiss, which made him laugh. After a few seconds, Dee pushed him back. 

“Re, what was that for? Also, I just vomited up my stomach, gross.”

Remus shrugged. He then climbed to his feet, stepping off of the mattress. “You’re a good kisser. Is that okay, should I have asked..?”

“You’re good, you just surprised me. I let you do way more than that to me, and you think I’d mind a kiss? Fuck off.” He picked at his fingernails, yawning. 

Remus cackled, heading out of the room. “Whatever you say, Double-Dee.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Camden’s Cafe was crowded tonight, which wasn’t unusual. Roman stepped inside, pulling down the small headphones he wore and leaving them hanging around his neck. Soft music was playing, most of the tables were filled, and there were already Christmas decorations, making the whole scene much more festive. Roman knew that Dee would be groaning if he saw this— he was such a grinch. 

Logan and Patton were already sitting down, and Roman spotted them immediately. Logan had his back to him, but he could see Patton well. It was weird, since for the past 6 years, Roman had only seen him in pictures. 

Logan had met Patton not long after Roman left. They had become fast friends, and were now platonic partners. Roman wasn’t entirely sure what that entailed— but wasn’t going to bug them about it. 

When Patton noticed Roman standing there, he stood up, smiling and waving. He walked up to the two of them, saying hello, giving Logan a brief hug, and sitting down. Someone came over to them, and they all ordered drinks. 

Roman was worried that conversation would be awkward, but thankfully Patton was just as energetic and talkative as he remembered him being. Though, Patton didn’t talk much about himself, mostly about Logan, and had asked a lot of questions. 

When the conversation started to shift towards school, Roman got nervous. He hadn’t told Logan about what had happened yet. He knew that he wouldn’t be angry or anything, but would definitely be disappointed. But Roman hated secrets, and couldn’t keep this from one of his best friends. 

“Actually, uh, I dropped out like a week ago. That’s why I’m back visiting so early. Not visiting, uh, I’m moving back home.”

Logan blinked at Roman, his face softening. “Oh? I.. suppose that makes sense. I'm sorry that happened, but it is nice to have you back.”

“Thanks, Logan.” Roman smiled, putting a hand on the table in front of him. 

“Not a problem. You’re my friend. Oh— iIs that the thing you wanted to talk to us about, Roman?” 

Roman perked up. “Ah, oh, not exactly. I just… well, I had this idea, and I was wondering if you’d be interested. And Patton, too.” The Patton part was definitely not his original plan, but he seemed like someone Roman could become friends with. 

And he had been told that Patton played the bass, so that finalized his decision to at least ask him. 

A few people glanced over at the sudden noise, as Roman clapped his hands together. “You see, ever since I was a child, I’ve been passionate about music. I sang in the choir at school, I started writing music soon after. I got into musical theatre and performing with groups…”

Logan squinted, leaning against the table. “I know. You’ve told me these things.”

Roman waggled a finger, grinning at them. “Anyway, I've always had a love for music. Now that I’m back in town, I have decided that this would be the perfect time for me to form a band!”

“Roman—” Logan began, and Roman felt himself deflate slightly at his expression, —“you are aware that I have no musical talent, and, quite frankly, your worst option if you’re asking me to do this with you.”

“That isn’t true! Besides, I never said you had to perform. You’re a very intelligent person, and you would just be a huge help to us. You can be like… our manager! Wouldn’t that be fun?” 

“No? Roman, I—”

“Oh, goodness, that sounds like so much fun!” Patton squealed, then put a hand over his mouth. “S-Sorry, I just… oops. I’ve never been a part of something like that. I think it could be a lot of fun. 

The tension between them lessened as their drinks were set down in front of them, Roman thanking the person serving them. He glanced down at his hot chocolate, picking up a plastic spoon from the table. He absentmindedly stirred at it, glancing up at Logan, who was sipping his coffee and staring down at the table. 

“I’ll think about it.” Logan said at last, setting his drink down. “I think that you should do it if this is something that interests you, Roman and Patton, but I cannot guarantee that I will be involved.”

Roman tapped his chin. “Weren’t you in band in middle school?” 

An icy chill blasted through the room as Logan glared at Roman, adjusting his glasses. “For three months. I played the triangle.”

Patton put a hand to his heart. “Aw, Logan, that’s so cute!” 

“Anyway! Roman, tell us more about your… little band idea.” Logan huffed, taking a large sip of his drink. Roman rolled his eyes and poked his friend's arm, before getting right back into what he was saying previously. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The door to the apartment creaked open slowly, as Roman stepped inside, glancing around. He had been out with Patton and Logan longer than he had anticipated, and worried about waking Dee or Remus. 

After shutting the door, Roman started to walk into the apartment. The tv in the corner of the room had been left on, giving him that little bit of light he needed in this otherwise pitch black living room. He started heading towards the bathroom to wash up, pausing when he heard Dee and Remus’ voices coming from their bedroom. 

Now, Roman wasn’t a Brenda. He wasn’t a snoop. But the bathroom just happened to be next to the bedroom, and the apartment just happened to have very thin walls, and Roman just happened to stand silently in the bathroom for a few minutes listening to them. 

Dee had woken up around 9pm. He’d slept for probably 6 hours this morning, and had just taken another long nap, so he really wasn’t interested in going back to sleep. Thankfully, his roommate was an insomniac, and he had someone to keep him company. 

He sat at the edge of mattress, notebook in his lap as he scribbled down his thoughts. Remus kept a respectful distance, sitting over on the other side of the bed. He knew not to bug Dee when he was journaling or writing music. 

But Dee was having a hard time focusing tonight. His thoughts kept drifting back to last night, some of the faded memories slowly getting clearer. He wrote down a few sentences— a memory— as fast as he could before throwing his notebook and pen across the room, watching as they slammed into the wall. Dee scrunched up his face, pressing it into his hands. 

Hands wrapped around Dee’s waist, and he felt cracked lips on his neck. He let out a low chuckle, cracking an eye open to watch Remus. “Mm, hey.”

“Are you okay?” Remus whispered, frowning and pulling back slightly. 

Dee huffed, tilting his head to side as Remus started kissing him again. He moved one of his hands on top of Remus’. “Yeah, m’fine.” 

Dee relaxed for a few seconds, then turned around, settling himself in Remus’ lap. “Ugh, if we have sex and I have to put up with Brenda’s perverted little comments tomorrow, I’m gonna cut off your dick.” 

“Take your pick, I've got plenty of em.” Remus snickered, pulling Dee closer to him. He glanced over at their bedside, where said dicks (his dildos and strap on) were stored. “Also, she probably heard that.”

“Oh shut up.” Dee rolled his eyes, kissing him. “And if your brother gets back anytime soon, I’m not paying for his therapy.” 

Remus laughed harder at that, tugging Dee down into another, longer kiss. “Okay, okay, it's a deal, Dee. Now drop your panties and let’s finally do something fun today.” 

Dee burst out laughing, falling sideways onto the mattress. “I hated that, don’t ever say that again!” 

Remus watched Dee laugh, a grin spreading across his face. He climbed on top of him, leaning down and pressing a few kisses to his neck. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

Dee tilted his head up, keeping his eyes on Remus. “You don’t… you don’t have to be so nice. I’m really fine…” he stopped when Remus shushed him, gasping and grabbing onto his arms as they started kissing again. Dee relaxed after that. 

Roman tiptoed out of the bathroom as quickly as he could, grabbing the sleeping bag out of the closet. He grimaced as he set it up. Guess who’s gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remus stumbled into the kitchen at around 10:30am, clad in a long sleeved shirt, boxers, and his rusty silver necklace. The necklace was a gift he’d gotten in middle school— Roman had never seen him take it off. 

Roman swung his feet from where he sat on the kitchen counter, cup of coffee in hand. He nodded at his brother, gesturing to the pot he had just made. 

As Remus poured himself a mug, Roman stared, biting down on his lip. He hesitated for a moment, then cleared his throat. 

“You never told me about you and Dee. When did that happen?” His voice was quiet. Meek. 

Remus turned, frowning at his brother. His lip twitched. “What are you talking about?” 

“You know,” Roman hopped off the counter, setting his cup down. “Dee and you are a thing now, right? I thought, I mean, you didn’t tell me—“

“Nah, Roman, it’s not like that.” Remus laughed, shaking his head. “Uh, we’re not a couple or whatever.”

Roman huffed, shaking his head. “Remus,” he kept his voice low, in case Dee was awake, “I… I told you how I feel about Dee. You’ve known for years. And now you’re sleeping with him?” 

“Fuck, Ro, I didn’t know you owned him.”

“That’s-That’s not what I’m saying, don’t put words in my mouth, you asshole.” Roman growled. “But you know that I— you know how I feel, and you started a relationship with him without telling me, and it just hurts. Because you’re my brother, and you guys are my best friends, and I’m in a shitty place right now, and I don’t have anywhere else to go so now I’m stuck living with my brother and my crush/best friend who he’s—”

Remus grabbed Roman by the back of the head, pressing his free hand against his mouth. “...I’m not sorry, but I should’ve told you, okay? Like I said, we aren’t dating or anything, Dee doesn’t want that right now. So, like, if he wants to date you, go right ahead. I’ll back off.” He let go of his brother, picking his coffee back up from the counter. “I have to go to work, because I’m a responsible fucking adult. You and Dee have fun while I’m gone.” He walked out of the kitchen, giving Roman the finger on his way out. 

Roman glared at the back of his brother’s head until he was out of sight. “Fine, I will.” He muttered under his breath, moving to poor himself some more coffee. 

Dee didn’t wake up for another hour or so. At least, that’s when he left his bedroom. 

Roman was sitting on the living room floor, spacing out and occasionally checking his phone, while the TV served as some background noise. He felt his eyes shutting a few times, but forced himself to stay away. Why fuck up his sleep schedule even more?

A hand touched Roman’s head, and he jumped slightly, standing up and turning around. He relaxed when he saw Dee there, wearing a black hoodie, and a pair of black pyjama shorts. He laughed slightly, taking a step back. 

“Shit Roman, it’s just me.” Dee stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Roman in a hug. “Sorry about yesterday. Uh, it’s actually really good to see you. How have you been?”

The two of them stood still for a few moments, before Dee pulled back. 

Roman stared at him, a grin on his face. “I, uh, yeah. I’ve been alright. I’ve definitely been better, though. What about you? Are you feeling better?” 

“Oh, yeah, way better. Fuck, I’m sorry about yesterday, I forgot that you were coming so soon. I was just… I was just hungover. Don’t worry about it.”

Roman hesitated before nodding, patting his friend on the arms. He had known Dee for years— long enough to know when he was telling a fib. But he let it slide. 

“We didn’t get to talk much while I was at school. Tell me everything. I want to know.” Roman laughed. The both of them sat down on the floor, Dee leaning against the wall. 

“Jeez, uh, Remus and I moved here. Which was weird, I guess. Moving away from home was… it was good. I worked a lot. Got fired a lot.” Dee laughed, putting the back of his hand over his mouth. “I really haven’t done much else worth talking about, Ro.”

“I highly doubt that’s true, Deedee.” Roman laughed, shaking his head. “But I don’t have much to tell either. College wasn’t what I thought it would be. But, um, what about hobbies? Do you still sing?”

Dee tapped his foot as he spoke, looking up at the ceiling. “Yeah, sometimes. I write music now. Sometimes. Don’t usually sing it, cause it’s not that great. So, before you ask, no I’m not gonna show you.” Dee laughed at Roman’s dramatic eye roll. “I don’t even show Remus most of it, dude.”

That last comment stung a little bit, but Roman tried to laugh it off. “I’m sure you’re exaggerating. I would love to sing with you again, it’s been far too long.”

“Yeah, maybe. Uh, we have like, a little storage unit? We have a bunch of our stuff there that we’re not gonna take here. I usually go there with Remus to sing, cause that’s where his drums are, and people get really pissy here if you’re loud. And the people on the floor above us are super fucking shady, so I’m not risking it.”

“Spill the tea, Dee.” Roman chuckled, clapping his hands together. 

“Okay, like…” Dee lowered his voice, leaning forward towards Roman. “Remus’ dealer lives up there, and he’s super chill. But there’s also like these older ladies. They’re twins, so you know they’re probably evil.” Roman rolled his eyes, lightly smacking Dee on the arm. “And next to the spooky twins, right above us, is Remy Close.”

Roman’s eyes widened slightly, and he glanced up at the ceiling. They’d all gone to high school with Remy Close— and he was fucking crazy. Everyone in the school knew that he was involved with really bad people, and to stay away from him. He’d disappeared out in 12th grade, and Roman assumed he’d gone to prison or fled the state. 

Dee and Roman had been theatre kids— so they didn’t hang out in the same crowd as Remy at all. Though… “I thought Remus and Remy knew each other? They had classes together, and some mutual friends.”

Dee nodded. “Yeah. Uh, we ran into Remy a few times, and I’m not sure if he recognizes Remus at all. He didn’t say anything about it, at least.”

Roman nodded slowly. Remus hadn’t started transitioning or changed his name until after high school. If they weren’t brothers, Roman didn’t know if he would recognize him either. “Well, I suppose that isn’t a bad thing. I wouldn’t want to be recognized by someone like him.” He chuckled, sliding a bit closer to his friend. 

The two of them sat and talked for a while. They hadn’t seen each other for so long, and Roman had been so afraid. Afraid that things would change. That things would be weird between them, and that they wouldn’t be best friends before. When Dee ignored him yesterday, he had been terrified that his fears were becoming a reality. 

But now Roman leaned against Dee, listening as he went on about his time working at a nail salon, and how Remus had fallen down the stairs while running off from a fight they had. Roman laughed, a hand absentmindedly twirling Dee’s hair, and things felt normal.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roman and Remus’ father passed away when they were 7 years old. 

They don’t remember much about him now. Neither of them kept any pictures, or had a lot of items from their old house. But at the time, he had been a big part of their world. The rest of their world being their now single mother, their teenage brother, and each other. 

Remus was sad. He had been distant for a little while, and then really clingy. He didn’t want to leave his twin’s side, and had picked up a lot of hobbies to try and distract himself. It didn’t take him very long to drop all of those, and move onto finding other things to do. But none of them ever satisfied him, not the way they used to. 

Roman was angry. At who? He couldn’t tell you. Maybe it was his dad, or his mom, or himself, or maybe that’s the only way he knew how to cope. His older brother was a middle schooler, and was acting pretty distant. He didn’t have many friends at school, other than his sibling, and all of the teachers just seemed to pity him. Roman was the whiny, quiet kid, who would sit by himself and draw and not talk to anybody. 

One day, a boy from another class approached Roman at recess. He had been sitting alone on the bottom of a hill, leaning against the chain fence that kept them all inside the property. He had been doodling in his notebook, alone. Remus had been off at the other side of the playground, helping the girls in their class guard the jungle gym from the boys. 

The boy walked up to Roman with a big smile. He was small, scrawny, and Roman could sense he was nervous. He had light, fluffy hair, and a face full of freckles, his glasses just a little too big for his face. Roman stood up, setting down his notebook. 

The boy had been Patton Robins. Roman didn’t know his name, and he didn’t bother learning it for a while. 

Patton had tried to be friendly. He had probably seen some poor kid sitting alone, and decided to go and cheer him up. Patton was a really sweet guy. But Roman hadn’t known that then. He was young, and angry, and something inside him had snapped. 

Roman doesn’t remember exactly what he did. He remembers hitting him, and having a bloody nose afterwards, but everything else was a big blur. He had wanted to ask Remus, who had seen most of it, but never did. 

After that, Patton was scared of him. A lot of people were. Roman wasn’t necessarily big or strong, but no one wanted the crazy kid to go after them. 

It didn’t stop at beating up Patton, even though it should have. That shouldn’t of happened in the first place. Roman doesn’t like blaming himself fully— he should have known better, but so should have his teachers, and his mother, who never did anything to really stop him.

He found himself targeting Patton a lot with his bullying. Another mystery. It was mostly verbal, threats that he rarely carried out. Remus had been concerned, but went along with it sometimes. His brother had been doing it, and he had just followed suit. 

In 5th grade, kids were allowed to join band, and choir. Remus had been excited to join the school’s band. He had never played an instrument before, and Roman had encouraged him to do so. Roman himself wasn’t as interested in either of them. So he didn’t bother. 

The choir teacher approached him at lunch one day. She was a younger lady, probably in her early 30’s, and had only been at the school for a few years. Her name was Ms. Dressler, but Roman had been allowed to call her Leslie. He really liked Leslie. She came up to him one day, and asked him to come for a walk with her. Roman gave his brother a worried look before walking away with her. What did he do this time?

Leslie held his hand, leading Roman through the halls, and towards the music room. The door was open, and Roman could see a small group of people inside. Some kids in chairs, finishing up their lunches, a few more on the floor talking, and a small boy who was kneeling on the piano bench, slowly tapping the keys.

Roman remembers sitting with Leslie in the choir room, finishing up his food while she talked, and asked him very general questions. They’d never talked before— Roman didn’t know her, and was still nervous he was in trouble for some reason. 

Leslie had given him a cookie from her own lunch, and told him to go and make himself comfortable. Roman glanced around at the other kids, recognizing some of them. No one who would ever want Roman hanging around them. So he settled on going over to the boy that was alone at the piano. 

Dee had been very shy in elementary school. He was considered odd by his peers. His hair was very long, with bangs that were always in his eyes, and he wore the same few outfits everyday. He has friends, but never any best friends. He wasn’t smart, and needed a lot of extra help in class. 

Dee liked choir, because he was really good at it. Singing was one of the few things he could do well, and probably the most useful. Leslie Dressler had been helping him to sing even better, and taught him a lot about music in general. She had tried to teach him to play the piano during their lunch hour, but that hadn’t gone anywhere. 

One day, while Dee was trying to figure out “twinkle twinkle little star” on the stupid piano, a kid came up and sat next to him. He turned, acknowledged the boy’s presence with a nod, then turned back to the keyboard, slowly pressing a few keys. 

“This thing is stupid.”

“What do you mean? It sounds fine.”

“Uh, thanks. Do you know how to play?”

“No. I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen a piano before.”

“Do you wanna try?”

Dee showed Roman which keys to press, giving Roman half, and himself the other half, so they could play the song together. It took them a minute to get the hang of it, but they played the song together, even if it was slow and they made a few mistakes. 

Dee smiled and began singing along. Roman can still remember how his voice sounded. After listening for a few seconds, Roman joined in, and before they knew it, the bell rang and lunch was over. 

Leslie had spoken to Roman afterwards. She wanted him to consider joining the choir. She had invited him over to ask him, but said that he looked like he was having a lot of fun, and didn’t want to bother him. He asked if Dee was in the choir. He was. So, Roman said yes. 

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Patton’s life had gotten pretty routine. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, he loved his life. He had two loving mothers, who even though he didn't see them often, loved him very much and took good care of him. He had Logan, his precious partner, and their three dogs. He had hobbies, and friends, and had a lot of free time. What more could he ask for? 

Most days had become: make breakfast, take Logan to work, walk the dogs, tend to the garden, go for another walk, pick up Logan, and then hang out at home for the evening. Patton didn’t mind doing all these things. But he was a doer, full of energy all the time, and he just wished that he could even more. So, when someone suggested he joined their band, Patton was over the moon with excitement. 

It wasn’t until the next day that Patton realized what he had gotten himself into. 

Patton had been driving home after dropping Logan off at the school, when his eyes widened, and he glanced at himself in the mirror. 

“I said yes to joining Roman’s band. I agreed to spend long periods of time hanging out with and playing music with Roman. Oh no.” He said out loud to himself, gripping the wheel in front of him. “Oh, shit.”

Telling Roman “no” now wasn’t really an option in his mind. The only solution that he could think of was making sure that Logan joined with him. Not because he was scared of being alone with Roman— he just wouldn’t be very comfortable with it. But if Logan didn’t want to, then what was he going to do? 

The answer came to him in the form of a text. When Patton arrived back at his house, he planned on sending Logan a quick message, casually asking what he was going to do about Roman’s offer. But when he opened his phone, he saw he had several texts from his cousin, Virgil Travis. 

[VIRGIL]: hey r u busy?  
[VIRGIL]: my dad really wants the books logan borrowed back  
[VIRGIL]: also im really bored

Patton smiled down at his phone, pacing around the kitchen as he replied. 

[PATTON]: Of course buddy! And I’d love to hang out. I’ll be over in 20 minutes, okay Virge? <3<3<3

[VIRGIL]: yup 👍  
[VIRGIL]: sounds good 

Patton bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, giggling. “Boy, I wonder if Roman is looking for a guitarist..”


End file.
